Recruitment of Local Support Staff for the Election Observation Mission to North Macedonia

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is the leading agency in Europe in the field of election observation. The Office coordinates and organizes the deployment of numerous observation missions, with thousands of observers, every year to assess the compliance of elections in OSCE participating States with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections, and with national legislation. ODIHR’s unique methodology provides in-depth insights into all elements of an electoral process, allowing the Office to offer concrete recommendations to further improve electoral processes. Further details about ODIHR can be found at www.osce.org/odihr.

Following an official invitation to observe the 19 October local elections in North Macedonia, and in accordance with its mandate, ODIHR is preparing to deploy an Election Observation Mission  (EOM) for these elections. In this respect, ODIHR is looking to recruit local support staff for the following positions on a full-time basis:

Advance Team support positions:

• EOM/MKD Senior Operations Expert Assistant – 1 position,
• EOM/MKD Senior Procurement and Contracting Officer Assistant – 1 position,
• EOM/MKD Senior Procurement and Contracting Officer Assistant (HR related, 2 weeks) – 1 position,
• EOM/MKD Security Expert Assistant – 1 position,
• EOM/MKD Senior ICT Assistant – 1 position.

Administrative positions:

• EOM/MKD Front Office Assistant – 1 position,
• EOM/MKD Office Cleaner – 1 position,
• EOM/MKD Security Room Assistant (short-term) – 2 positions,
• EOM/MKD Security Guard – 3 positions,
• EOM/MKD Office Driver – 4 positions,
• EOM/MKD Office Driver (short-term) – 2 positions,
• EOM/MKD Junior Operations Expert Assistant (short-term) – 4 positions,
• EOM/MKD Statistical Analyst Assistant (short-term) – 2 positions,
• EOM/MKD ICT Assistant (short-term) – 1 position.

Programmatic positions:

• EOM/MKD Executive Assistant to the Head of Mission – 1 position,
• EOM/MKD Senior Administrative Assistant to the Deputy Head of the Mission – 1 position,
• EOM/MKD Senior Political Analyst Assistant – 2 positions, 
• EOM/MKD Senior Election Analyst Assistant – 1 position,
• EOM/MKD Senior Legal Analyst Assistant – 1 position,
• EOM/MKD Senior Media Analyst Assistant  – 1 position,
• EOM/MKD Senior Long-Term Observers Coordinator Assistant – 1 position,
• EOM/MKD Media Monitors – 6 positions,
• EOM/MKD Senior Election Accessibility Analyst Assistant (short-term) – 1 position,
• EOM/MKD Senior National Minorities Analyst Assistant (short-term) – 1 position,
• EOM/MKD Senior Parliamentary Liaison Officer Assistant (short-term) – 1 position

Regional positions:

Regional positions - support staff to Long Term Observers (locations are subject to change, confirmation at a later stage of recruitment):

• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Assistant in Skopje – 2 positions
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Assistant in Kumanovo – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Assistant in Bitola – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Assistant in Prilep – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Assistant in Tetovo – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Assistant in Shtip – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Assistant in Veles – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Assistant in Ohrid – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Assistant in Strumica – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Assistant in Gostivar – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Assistant in Kochani – 1 position

• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Driver in Skopje – 2 positions
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Driver in Kumanovo – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Driver in Bitola – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Driver in Prilep – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Driver in Tetovo – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Driver in Shtip – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Driver in Veles – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Driver in Ohrid – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Driver in Strumica – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Driver in Gostivar – 1 position
• EOM/MKD Long-Term Observer Driver in Kochani – 1 position

Candidates must be citizens or permanent residents of North Macedonia.

For more information about the responsibilities and requirements of each post, please read the terms of reference in the Key Resources section at the bottom of this page.

Start date of employment for advance team support positions: 29 August 2025 (approx.)

Start date of employment for administrative positions: 1 September 2025 (approx.)

Start date of employment for programmatic positions: 5 September 2025 (approx.)

Start date of employment for regional positions: 13 September 2025 (approx.)

Approximate duration of employment: 6-9 weeks (approx.) 

Location for advance and core teams: Skopje, North Macedonia

Locations for regional teams: Skopje, Kumanovo, Bitola, Prilep, Tetovo, Shtip, Veles, Ohrid, Strumica, Gostivar, Kochani.

Remuneration is commensurate with the qualifications of the incumbent and requirements of the post, and is similar to those offered under the United Nations Common System for general services employees (in accordance with established OSCE rates). Social security will include participation in the OSCE life and accident disability insurance scheme.

Application procedure: Those interested in applying should forward their most recent curriculum vitae in English to hr-skopje@odihr.pl, indicating the position for which they are applying (e.g., EOM/MKD Senior Election Analyst Assistant).

Each candidate may apply for up to three positions in separate e-mails. Please do not attach photographs, motivation letters, and certificates. Additional relevant information should be submitted only upon request.

The applicants without the required experience may be considered in case of an insufficient number of fully qualified applications received by the application deadline.

Applications received after the deadline or with no indication of the position for which the candidate applies, will not be taken into consideration.

Application deadline:

For advance team positions - 26 August 2025, 17:00 CET.

For administrative positions - 28 August 2025, 17:00 CET.

For programmatic positions – 2 September 2025, 17:00 CET.

For regional team positions – 2 September 2025, 17:00 CET.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment, to offer an appointment at a lower grade or to offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic, and social backgrounds to apply.

Note: No application fees are required by ODIHR for its recruitment process at any stage (application processing, interview meeting, training, or any other fees).